


Sanctuary

by Goodnightwife



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 16:24:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15755433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goodnightwife/pseuds/Goodnightwife
Summary: Reader is a nurse in McCoy's medbay and comes in contact with an Engineer who's completely taken with her. As they head down to a planet on a rescue mission, all hell breaks loose. Is this a rescue mission gone wrong or is something very sinister happening on this planet? Y/N is pulled in and Scotty must do his best to save the woman he has grown to love.





	1. Chapter 1

Y/N blinked, blushed, and looked away quickly as she assisted Dr. McCoy in patching up Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott. No one knew just how he had managed it, but Scotty had been working in one of the Jeffries tubes and somehow ripped his shirt straight across his chest and had a nasty wound cut diagonally across his chest. Scotty hissed as Dr. McCoy quickly cleaned the wound and removed what was left of his shirt. Y/N wasn’t squeamish at all, but the sight of the engineer’s bare chest was incredibly distracting.

“Of all people, Scotty,” Dr. McCoy began admonishing him. “I expect you to be the example to the rest of your engineers on how to NOT get yourself killed doing routine tasks.”

“Aye, I hear ya doc.” Scotty responded through gritted teeth, his Scottish accent heavy.

“Lay down and we’ll get you patched up,” McCoy instructed. “Nurse Y/L/N, take over here for a second please.” McCoy handed Y/N the regen unit and quickly left the exam room. She smiled down at Scotty as she began expertly running the unit over the wound.

“Are ya new, Lass?” Scotty asked as he watched the sweet-faced nurse tend to his bleeding chest. “I don’t think I’ve seen ya on board before now.”

“No, sir, I’ve been on the Enterprise for almost a year, I’ve just been working with Dr. M’Benga until recently,” Y/N replied softly, her voice betraying a soft southern accent.

“Oh, I guess I don’t see M’Benga very often.” Scotty replied, letting his eyes roam over her face. She kept her eyes on her work, his chest, but every now and again the light caught them just right to shine a captivating Y/E/C. Scotty took a deep breath, causing his chest to rise against her hand, the skin to pull tight against the healing that the regen unit had done, and he hissed at the sudden pain.

“Oh, be careful, Mr. Scott,” Y/N said, resting her hand on his bare shoulder. “You need to take shallow breaths and avoid stretching the skin too much. I know that’s not always easy but you will heal faster if you don’t do anything to aggravate the wound.”

“Yes ma’am,” Scotty replied.

“Are you giving my nurse a hard time, Scotty?” Dr. McCoy asked as he came back in the room. “I’ll take over now, Y/N, Christine needs you in exam room 2.”

Y/N nodded at Dr. McCoy as she handed over the regen unit, smiled a goodbye at Scotty and quickly went to help Christine. Scotty’s eyes followed her out of the room. McCoy’s chuckle brought Scotty attention back to the doctor.

“She’s been here for a year?” Scotty asked incredulously.

“Yup. She’s been working with M’Benga and has quickly become one of the best nurses we have. M’Benga assigned her to me when there wasn’t anything else he could teach her.” McCoy replied as he began running the regen unit over Scotty’s chest.

“How have I not seen her before?” Scotty wondered to the ceiling.

“She keeps busy, sometimes working a double shift with whatever doctor she’s assigned to. Her work ethic reminds me of yours actually.” McCoy replied with a smile. “Alright, Scotty, you’re patched up. Take it easy for the next few days, try not to pull the skin.”

“I’ll do what I can doc, but I canna make any promises.” Scotty replied as he stood from the biobed. “Besides, now that I see you’ve got such a pretty nurse, it’s incentive to not be quite so careful.”

McCoy was crossing his arms over his chest with a scowl and opened his mouth to respond when a beep sounded through the small exam room.

“Kirk to McCoy.”

“McCoy here.”

“We’ve arrived at the outpost, pack up a medkit and a nurse and meet us in transporter room 2.” Kirk commanded.

“I’ll grab Y/N and meet you there.” McCoy replied.

“Do ya need an engineer, Captain?” Scotty asked.

“Yes, Scotty. Transporter room 2, ten minutes. Kirk out.”

“You have no business going on an away mission when your chest has been put back together for less than five minutes.” McCoy scowled as he began leading Scotty out of the room stopping to stick his head in Exam room 2 to let Y/N know she needed to be ready to head down the planet in 5 minutes. “You had better gather some tools or something, Scotty. You’re a miracle worker but even you need your tool kit to fix things.”

“Oh, right!” Scotty shook himself and headed out of the Medbay at a run to get his tools.

“And put on a shirt!” McCoy yelled at his back.

“Right!” Scotty yelled back as the door closed behind him. McCoy shook his head and went to grab a couple of med kits. This was going to be an interesting away mission.


	2. Chapter 2

Y/N stood in the transporter room with her medkit in hand, waiting for the rest of the away team to gather and beam down to the planet’s surface. The federation outpost had fallen upon some hard times in the harsh environment of this planet. While it was class M and suitable to sustain humanoid life, the weather left much to be desired. The planet was 90% water and a hurricane had ripped most of the colony to shreds and left many without homes. Everyone had been evacuated to an underground cavern but not before many were badly injured and now supplies were running low as they waited for the water to recede and the transport ship to arrive. The Enterprise just happened to be the closest starship and was instructed to render aid until the transport ship could arrive to take the settlers to a new planet.

The transporter room doors slid open as Scotty ran in, breathing hard, carrying his tool kit and once again wearing a red shirt. Y/N smiled at him but quickly looked away as the captain began barking orders.

“Nice of you to join us, Mr. Scott. We will beam directly into the mouth of the caves. The opening is halfway up a mountain and the flood waters haven’t reached it. Our mission is to render any and all aid we can. Supplies have already been sent down. Mr. Scott, you will check all their systems and make sure they are set until the transport ship gets here. Bones and Y/N will assist their medical team. The rest of us will help distribute supplies and make sure everything is stable until they can be evacuated. Everyone clear?”

Nods around the room confirmed his orders and everyone stepped onto the transport pads. Scotty positioned himself as near to Y/N as he could get, causing Bones to roll his eyes behind her back. Golden sparkles clouded everyone’s vision and when they faded away, the sight caused everyone to take in a breath.

The mouth of the cave was a huge, open space. An emissary met them at the beam down site and led them through a labyrinth of tunnels and into the largest cavern Y/N had ever seen. Their guide explained that machines had been sent into the caves a year ago to begin carving out a sanctuary for them during the hurricane season. The main cavern was at least 7 floors high with walkways carved into the white stone walls around the outer edges but it was completely open in the middle. Lights had been hung from the impossibly high ceiling and in all the makeshift rooms, the bright light bouncing off the white walls. Carved doorways lined the walkways on every floor, blankets, towels, and clothing hung over the metal safety rails to dry. But what really took everyone’s breath away were the people. Everywhere with hardly in inch of room to spare, people sat, laid, or stood. Some were injured, but most simply had no other place to be. Families huddled in alcoves, individuals lined the walkways and the wide tunnels.

Scotty stepped up beside Y/N and took in her profile. Her eyes shone with unshed tears at the sight before her. Scotty lightly put his hand on the small of her back.

“Lassie? Y’alrigh’?” he asked softly, bringing Bones’ attention to them.

“Yes, Mr. Scott, I’m okay.” Y/N whispered back, glancing at him with a small smile to prove her words. “I’ve just never seen anything like this before.”

“Let’s get to work, people.” Captain Kirk’s voice pulled Y/N back to herself and her job. She was healer and that’s just what she was going to do! Bones and Y/N followed one of the colony’s nurses to their Medbay and Scotty followed along, saying that he wanted to check the stability of the Medbay’s systems first. Y/N thought it was a smart thing to do but Bones saw right through Scotty like he was glass. Catching Scotty’s eye a few times as the men followed Y/N and the nurse, Bones raised an eyebrow at the engineer’s ever-present grin.

The medbay was completely overrun with everything from minor injuries to people awaiting surgery. Bones leapt into action with the doctors already working on patients and went to get prepped for surgery. Y/N started filling the gaps where other nurses were otherwise occupied. Scotty took a second to enjoy Y/N’s gentleness with every patient she spoke to before he shook himself and got to work.

As he worked, Scotty marveled at how they had managed to get all the equipment into the caves and make it feel almost like a starship without windows. The white stone walls were smoothed out and biobeds lined them on each side. Once he had given the Medbay a good once over, determining that all those systems were fully functional, he pulled Y/N aside for a moment.

“I’m through here, Lassie, I’m going to check out the other systems.” he informed her, absentmindedly rubbing his hand across his chest..

“Alright, Mr. Scott.” Y/N nodded, slightly confused as to why he felt the need to report his action to her. “How’s your chest feeling?” she asked, placing her hand on his arm to scoot him aside to allow room for a passing nurse.

“It’s alright, just a little tight. And please, call me Scotty.” he grinned and covered her hand with his. Y/N felt her heart beat a little faster at his touch.

“Very well, Scotty,” she smiled into his eyes, captivated by what she saw there. “Be careful still, and come find me if you have any pain at all, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.” he responded giving her hand a squeeze before he made himself turn to leave.

“Scotty,” she called after him, causing him to turn half way back to look at her. “Call me Y/N.”

“Aye,” he responded with a smile. A nurse called for Y/N but as she turned Scotty thought he caught a wink in his direction. With a huge grin, he went to check the rest of the sanctuary’s systems, taking time to notice how well stocked this “cave” was.


	3. Chapter 3

Y/N worked hard until the makeshift Medbay was almost cleared. All the minor injuries had been tended to and all the surgical patients were in recovery. Taking a few minutes for a cup of coffee, Y/N leaned her hip against an empty biobed and sighed.

“That sounded heavy,” Bones said from behind her, holding his own coffee.

“I guess it was a little heavy,” Y/N answered with a small smile. “I wasn’t fully prepared for what we would see down here. I was ready for the wounded, but I wasn’t ready to see how these people have been living for the past week.”

“At least it’s only temporary for them and they will all be taken to a new planet soon.” Bones replied. “But that’s not what I want to talk about, Y/N. You, you have an admirer, Nurse Y/L/N.”

“What do you mean?” Y/N asked with Scotty’s face flashing in her mind and her cheeks began heating up.

“I think you know exactly what I mean. Just be careful with our chief engineer, darlin’, he’s the only Scotty we have.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Doctor McCoy,” Y/N responded cheekily, setting her empty cup down. “Now that you mention it though, I should probably check on him. I told him to be careful with his chest injury but I’m sure he hasn’t been. I ought to make sure he’s still okay.”

“Oh, by all means, you don’t want to neglect any patient, no matter how stubborn they are.” Bones winked at Y/N as she gathered her medkit and left to find Scotty. “That kid has no idea what she’s getting herself into,” Bones muttered to himself with a chuckle. “Can’t wait to tell Jim!”

It didn’t take very long to find Scotty because he didn’t get very far from the Medbay. Y/N found him working under a console in the hallway, his Starfleet regulation boots sticking out.

“Scotty?” Y/N asked, kneeling down beside his feet.

“Aye?” Scotty said, picking his head up slightly to see who was speaking. Seeing Y/N, he jerked up to sit and banged his head against the underside of the console. “OW!”

“Oh, Scotty!” Y/N worked hard to hold back a laugh. “Come out of there and let me check your head.”

“It’s just a bump,” Scotty said as he wiggled out and sat up in front of her. “No need to fret.”

“Let me be the judge of that, if you please.” Y/N replied, putting her hands on the sides of Scotty’s head and bending it forward so she could see. No abrasions, just a small lump. 

“Well, am I going to pull through?” he asked, lifting his face to hers.

Y/N gulped at being so close and almost lost herself in his eyes. “I think you will live, Mr. Scott.” she replied softly as Scotty leaned toward her a fraction of an inch.

“I certainly hope so,” came a voice above them. Scotty and Y/N jumped apart and looked up into the twinkling blue eyes of a very amused Captain Kirk. “Everything alright here?”

“Aye, sir, just a wee bump on my noggin.” Scotty replied, his cheeks turning pink.

“Is that the official diagnosis, Nurse Y/L/N?” Kirk questioned Y/N.

“Yes, sir, that is the proper medical terminology for situations like this.” Y/N replied with a grin, her cheeks heating up.

“Very well, carry on.” Kirk said and walked away with a smile. Scotty and Y/N! He couldn’t wait to tell Bones.

Jim found Bones finishing up his cup of coffee in the Medbay and talking with the colony’s doctor. 

“Jim, this Doctor Cline. Doctor Cline, Captain Jim Kirk.” Bones introduced the men and they shook hands. 

“Thank you for coming to our aid so quickly, Captain Kirk,” Doctor Cline said. 

“Glad to help, Doctor Cline. I’m amazed at the setup you have in these caves. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this isn’t it.”

“When we first started building the colony and the first storm hit, we spent a couple of days in these caves and it was decided then to send in mining machines to carve out these rooms while maintaining the structural integrity of the mountain, mostly. Nearly the entire mountain was solid rock,” the doctor explained. “It was lucky we found this place, with 90% of the planet covered in water, it made sense to have a backup plan should the weather get too rough.”

“Why was this planet chosen for settlement?” Bones asked. “I mean, surely there are more hospitable planets out there.”

“There are,” Cline nodded in agreement. “But this planet was chosen because of an enzyme found in almost all of the marine wildlife.”

“What do you mean? Why would that matter?” Kirk asked.

“A scientific expedition found the enzyme by accident when they first came to this planet and they discovered that it can be used to cure a multitude of diseases. This settlement was the first step in cultivating that enzyme. Every family has at least one scientist, many have two.”

“They discovered it accidentally?” Bones asked.

“Yeah,” Cline chuckled. “Someone went fishing and after they ate the fish, their rash cleared up.”

“What’s the scope of this cure?” Bones questioned. “How many illnesses have been tested?”

“Everything from the common cold to Alderian Brain Lesions to Gangorian Clap. Every disease and illness we can get our hands on in a test tube hasn’t stood up to this enzyme. It systematically breaks down every illness.” Cline responded. 

“What’s the cost?” Kirk asked, knowing the other shoe was going to drop.

“The life of the creature carrying it.” Cline replied solemnly. “The enzyme will last as long as the marine life lasts. We haven’t figured out yet why the fish are carrying it, it’s not in the water itself. We have harvested and tested 57 different varieties of wildlife and every animal that comes from the water carries the enzyme in their blood.”

“Side effects?” Bones questioned.

“None that we have found so far but human trials haven’t officially begun yet.” Cline answered with a shrug.

“What about the transport ship that’s coming to resettle everyone on another planet?” Kirk asked.

“Our families will leave but many of us have decided to stay. We will live in these caves and continue our work as long as we can.”

“So what’s the plan to harvest this magical cure for everything in the universe without killing the ecosystem of this planet, not to mention causing the extinction of an untold number of indigenous species?” Bones asked, crossing his arms across his chest with a scowl. Before Cline could answer, an alarm sounded through the cavern, bouncing off the walls painfully. 

“Cave in!” Cline yelled as he grabbed his medkit and ran out of the Medbay, McCoy on his heels.


	4. Chapter 4

Y/N had wandered into the furthest reaches of the tunnel system, checking on the people who sat and laid down along the walls. Most were families with children and she felt the need to check on as many as possible. Scotty followed her, saying that he was headed that direction anyway. She wouldn’t have said it out loud in front of the people, but she was happy to have Scotty with her. He felt like an extra layer of security even though she shouldn’t really need it. 

Heading further and further back into the caves, Y/N found family after family until she came to a large, open room with a pool of water in the center. She estimated that she might be nearing the center of the mountain. There were no people in this room, but Y/N was drawn to the pool of water in the middle. 

“Scotty, do you think this is sea water?” she asked as she stepped to the edge and peered in. It should have been dark in the water, but it wasn’t. As Y/N watched, the water slowly lit up into a soft green glow as fish began to come to the surface. They seemed to glow in the darkness of the water and became so bright that the room filled with green light.

“Wow.” Scotty whispered at Y/N’s side. “That’s amazin’! I’ve never seen glowin’ fish before.”

“Me neither.” Y/N responded as she knelt down by the pool’s edge and reached toward the water.

“Here now,” Scotty said gruffly as he grabbed her hand just before it touched the water. “They might be flesh eatin’ monsters, don’t put yer hand in there!”

“Why, Scotty,” Y/N teased as she allowed him to pull her to her feet. “You do care.”

“Oh I care, lassie, you can bet on that,” he replied, stepping closer to her and holding her one hand in both of his. Her eyes captivated him and tugged at his heart. Before he could think twice, he leaned forward to gently placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Y/N smiled into his eyes when he pulled back and the ground gave a slight tremble.

“Ummm…” Scotty blushed even as he looked around the walls of the cave. “As much as I would like to believe that was me, my kisses haven’t ever made the ground shake.”

“Scotty, I-” Y/N started but ground shook again, stronger this time causing both of them to lose their balance and fall to the ground. Scotty did his best to soften Y/N’s fall by twisting their bodies so that he landed on the bottom of their pile of two. The sound of boulders falling to the stone ground roared through the cavern and Scotty rolled them so that he was on top, protecting Y/N. Dust filled the room as the ceiling of the narrow tunnel they walked through caved in, cutting off the light that had been filtering through, plunging them into darkness. 

“Ya alrigh’?” Scotty asked, coughing in the dust and lifting his weight off of her. 

“I think so,” Y/N answered, “Are you okay?” she asked, running her hands over his head and down his shoulders and arms and coming to a stop over his chest. 

“I think so, lassie,” Scotty replied as he got them both to their feet. 

“What happened?” Y/N asked as he moved toward where the tunnel’s opening used to be. 

“Looks like a cave in,” he answered, pulling out a light from his tool kit and shining it at the blocked entrance. “Looks like we’re stuck in here.”

Pulling out her communicator, Y/N called for Dr. McCoy.

“McCoy here, my god Y/N, where are you? There’s been a cave in!” Bones’ gruff voice filled the cavern. 

“I know,” Y/N replied wryly. “Scotty and I are trapped in a cavern on the other side of it.”

“Injuries?” he asked immediately.

“None, we’re fine. Just stuck.” she replied.

“Alright, you two hang tight, we are working on digging you out. It might take a little while so that we don’t cause another cave in,” he responded.

“We won’t go anywhere,” Y/N said wryly before snapping the communicator closed. “Looks like we’re in for a bit of a wait.”

“Well, I canna think of better company,” Scotty grinned at her from beside the pile of rocks that blocked their exit. Y/N returned his grin, thankful he couldn’t see her cheeks heat up in the dim light. As she stared at Scotty, though, Y/N realized that she could see him clearer and clearer. Turning back to the pool, she realized that the amount of glowing fish had doubled and the green glow was more like a full blown green light.

“Scotty, come see.” she called excited as she knelt by the pool and leaned carefully over the side. One of the fish swimming just below her stopped and turned its face up, looking directly into her eyes. Y/N’s eyes widened as Scotty knelt next to her, ready to grab her if she started to slip into the water. As he watched her stare at the fish, he was amazed when more and more fish stopped swimming around and simply stared back at her. Y/N was unaware of how long she stared at the fish but she jumped when Scotty elbowed her gently in the ribs.

“Lassie?” he asked softly. “Y/N?”

Y/N turned her head toward Scotty and he gasped when he saw her eyes glowing the same green as the fish. 

“Scotty?” she whispered. “What’s happening to me?”

“I don’t know lassie, but we need to get out of this room,” he replied wrapping a hand around her upper arm to help her stand. “Come away now.” Scotty put his arm around Y/N’s shoulders as he led her as far away from the pool as he could get and sat her down on the hard stone floor. The green glow in her eyes faded the longer they stayed away from the pool. Y/N leaned into Scotty’s strong shoulder as she closed her eyes against the glow still in the room.

“I don’t know what that was about Scotty, but I think we’ve stumbled onto something big here.”


	5. Chapter 5

Doctor Leonard H. McCoy’s pacing skills were the finest in the universe and he was currently putting all his considerable pacing experience to work as men and machines worked to clear the caved in tunnel. He had Y/N’s word that they weren’t hurt, but he wouldn’t be able to set his mind at ease until he examined them for himself. Jim and some of the other leaders of the community were conferring over the best way to get through the small hole they had created when Leonard’s communicator beeped. 

“McCoy here,” he said briskly as he flipped it open. 

“Are you alone?” Y/N’s voice asked softly. It had a strange quality to it that Leonard couldn’t quite place. Stepping away from the work and into an unoccupied room, he kept his eyes on the door when he told her to go ahead. 

“Something’s happening here, Leonard.” she started. “There’s a pool in this room with strange glowing fish and I think they’re trying….”

“Y/N?” Leonard asked as her voice trailed off.

“Doctor,” Scotty’s voice took over. “There’s somethin’ strange happenin’ here. We gotta get outa this room as soon as possible.”

“What’s going on in there, Scotty?” Leonard demanded. 

“It’s beyond me ken, sir,” he answered, his Scottish accent growing heavy with nervousness. “There’s a wee pool in here, I think it must be connected to the ocean because there’s fish in it. Glowing green fish.”

“I’m sorry, did you say ‘glowing fish’?” Leonard asked. 

“Aye.” Scotty’s voice took on the distinct tone of concern.

“Hold on a second, Scotty.” Leonard stuck his head out of the room and waved Jim in as subtly as he could. 

“What’s going on Bones?” Jim asked.

“Scotty says there’s something strange happening in there. You need to hear this,” Leonard answered grimly. “Tell us about the fish, Scotty.”

“Well, they are large and they seem to really like Y/N,” he began. “They are glowing green bright enough to light this whole room. Y/N’s takin’ quite a fancy to them. In fact, she can’t seem to look away from them anymore. And Doctor, they’re making her eyes glow green.”

“What? How is that even possible?” Jim asked incredulously. 

“Does it seem to be hurting her, Scotty?” Leonard asked quickly.

“No, sir, she’s a’righ’ for now. She’s just standing at the edge of the pool staring at them. But Captain, the fish are staring back.”

“Scotty, listen,” Jim began as he filled the engineer in on their conversation with the colony’s doctor about the enzyme found in the fish. “This must be some kind of internal harvesting pool.” 

A shout of triumph sounded from outside the room and a rush of workers ran past the door and Leonard dashed out behind them. 

“Hang on Scotty, we’re almost through the rocks.” Jim said as he snapped the communicator closed and ran out to check the progress.

Scotty closed Y/N’s communicator and put it in his pocket. She was still standing by the pool staring down into the glowing water. The fish had now taken over the entire pool, their green skin glowing just below the water’s surface. He heard the men working to clear a small tunnel through the rocks, they would be through soon. Moving to stand next to Y/N, he light put a hand on her arm. 

“Lassie?.... Y/N?” he waved a hand in front of her face but she didn’t respond. Her eyes glowed green and the glow from the pool was getting so bright that Scotty could hardly see the individual fish anymore. 

“Scotty,” Y/N whispered so lowly that he nearly missed it. “I think they want something from me.”

“What?” he asked, taking a step back as rocks began to fall behind him as the men dug through. 

“They want-” Y/N’s voice faltered as she stared, transfixed by the green fish. Behind them, rocks and gravel fell as the last of the boulders were moved out of the way and a very strong looking man crawled through with Leonard on his heels. 

“Scotty! Y/N! Are you okay?” he called as he ran across the room to Scotty’s side. Scotty opened his mouth to answer but caught a flash of movement in the corner of his eye and with the sound of a splash, Y/N jumped into the water and immediately sunk beneath the surface. The fish seemed to follow her down and the green glow faded until it was gone. Hand lamps turned on and turned on the dark water. 

“Y/N!!” Scotty yelled as he tried to launch himself into the water after her, Leonards strong arms barely holding him back. Jim crawled through, took one look at both men staring into the water, saw the disturbed water in the pool, and was about to make a snap decision when Y/N’s head popped back through the water’s surface. 

Her hair hung over her face as she climbed out of the pool with Scotty’s sure hands pulling on her arms. They fell onto the stone floor, Scotty pulled her into his arms, heedless of her soaking wet clothes. Hanging her head low, she took a couple audible breaths before her body began to shake. Leonard fell to his knees beside her and began scanning over her body, looking for any injuries. 

“Lassie, speak to me,” Scotty begged after a couple minutes of silence. He gently moved her sopping wet hair from her face and lifted her head with a hand under her chin. Her eyes were closed as she continued to shake, but she began to breath normally. 

“Y/N,” Leonard said, letting his hands run down her arms and legs to confirm what the tricorder had already told him. Nothing broken. No apparently injuries and no internal injuries. Y/N took a deep breath.

“Scotty,” she whispered, turning her face into his chest. He squeezed her tight against him. “Scotty, they need help.” She loosened her grip and turned her face up to Scotty. Her irises glowed green and her skin now had a green tint. She took a breath and struggled to whisper, “They’re being murdered.”


	6. Chapter 6

Back on the Enterprise, Scotty paced outside exam room 3 while Leonard examined Y/N. After her final statement, she had passed out and Scotty insisted that they get her far away from that room and those fish. He explained how the glow in her eyes had faded when she stepped away from the fish the first time and maybe getting her off the planet altogether would help.

“You’re going to wear a path in the floor.” Jim said where he leaned against the wall. 

“What’s takin’ so long?” Scotty grumbled. Y/N had regained consciousness a few moments after they have gotten her back aboard the ship, although she hadn’t spoken again. Walking past the closed door again, Scotty ran his hands through his hair and noted (not for the first time) how it seemed to be thinning. Before he had too much time to dwell on it, the door slid open and Leonard stepped out. 

“You can both come in now. She’s asking for you, Scotty.” he said, stepping aside to admit the engineer. Scotty rushed past Leonard to find Y/N sitting on the bed, her legs dangling over the side, head hanging down as she looked at her hands in her lap. He stood in front of her, taking her hands and letting his thumbs run over her knuckles. 

“Y/N,” he whispered, paying no attention to Leonard and Jim entering the room. “Are y’a’right?” he moved one hand to cup her cheek, encouraging her to look at him. 

“My eyes are still green, Scotty,” Y/N said softly, still keep her head down. 

“I don’t care, please look at me,” he pleaded, his accent washing over her. She slowly lifted her head and looked into his eyes. He smiled, “There y’are. How’r y’feelin’?”

“I feel okay, much warmer now,” Y/N shrugged, her irises glowing a bright green. “That water was cold.”

“What possessed ye to jump in?” he asked, rubbing her hands in between his.

“They wanted me to,” she responded simply, as if she were reporting the weather.

“What do you mean?” Jim asked, finally drawing the attention of the couple. 

“They were speaking to me,” Y/N said matter-of-factly.

“The fish were speaking to you?” Leonard questioned, raising a dark eyebrow. Y/N nodded.

“I didn’t hear anythin’,” Scotty said. 

“Well, they are telepathic. I heard them in my head and the longer I stared at them, the louder they became until the urge to jump in was too strong to resist.” Y/N explained, her hands now responding to Scotty’s by holding tightly to his fingers. 

“Why you?” Jim asked.

“Maybe because my grandmother was a telepath?” Y/N shrugged. “I’ve never had any telepathic abilities before now though.”

“What did they say?” Leonard questioned. “These telepathic, green glowing fish.”

“They are being murdered by the people on that planet.” Y/N said, her green eyes flashing a little. “Those fish are the sentient species on that planet and the colonists have been murdering them to harvest that enzyme in their blood.”

“Did they tell you all that?” Leonard asked. 

“No, I heard what you told Scotty about what that colony is really there for, the fish didn’t know why they were being hunted and slaughtered. I filled them in on the why.” Y/N turned back to Scotty as tears began to run down her cheeks. “They are defenseless creatures, Scotty, and they are being slaughtered. They came to me for help and I have no idea how to help them.”

Scotty dropped Y/N’s hands. He gently shushed her whimper as he moved to sit next to her on the biobed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his side. She buried her face in his neck and sobbed as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. Leonard grabbed Jim and led him out of the room silently. 

“Shhh, Lassie,” Scotty rocked her gently back and forth and let her cry all her tears out. When her breathing returned to normal, he lifted her head with a finger under chin. Cupping her cheek and wiping at her wet cheek with his thumb, he brought his lips down on hers. She tilted her head to deepen the kiss, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck and running her fingers through his hair. Pulling back to breathe, he rested his forehead on hers. 

“Scotty?” she whispered. 

“Aye?” he responded, his eyes still closed as he tried to gather his wits around him.

“The room didn’t shake this time.”

“I’ll try again,” he muttered as he began to move toward kissing her again but his movement was halted when the door slid open to admit Leonard and Jim. 

“Y/N, I’ve looked over your scans and I can find no medical reason for the glowing in your eyes,” Leonard began. “It’s probable that it’s a result of the telepathic communication with our fishy friends and will fade with time, but I just don’t know for sure. I don’t see any neurological damage or any indication that communicating with the fish should cause any problems. It seems they have simply activated the telepathy you already had in your genetics. You might experience some headaches, but that should be about it.”

“I understand,” Y/N responded with a nod, keeping Scotty’s hand tight in hers. “What are we going to do about this massacre though?”

“Well,” Jim started. “I’ve contacted Starfleet Command and they are going to get back with me, but the Prime Directive is pretty clear. This is a sentient species and the harvesting of their blood is killing them, Starfleet’s not going to stand for that any more than we are, but I want to wait for their response before taking action against the colonists.”

“Really?” Leonard leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “You, Captain James T. Kirk, are going to wait for Command to make up their minds before you do anything?”

Jim grinned wickedly, “I didn’t say that, Bones.”

“What are we going to do?” Y/N asked excitedly, knowing her captain’s penchant for getting into trouble but getting the job done.

“Well, I think that some of us will go back down to the planet and begin an investigation and perhaps a full oceanic survey. Of course, while we are conducting our investigation to make sure those tunnels and caverns are safe and won’t cave in again, as is our duty as Starfleet personnel to make sure our people are safe, all harvesting of the enzyme will have to stop.”

“I’m going to talk to Cline, and see if they even knew that these fish are sentient and therefore, protecting by the Prime Directive.” Leonard put in. 

“Scotty,” Jim continued after giving Leonard a nod. “You’re going to go back down and continue your work on their systems, I think they are having some ‘malfunctions’ that I need your attention.”

“Aye, sir,” Scotty replied with a wink, already planning the “malfunctions” in his head.

“And what about me?” Y/N asked. 

“You’re going to continue your conversation with the fish, of course.” Jim responded with wink.


	7. Chapter 7

After a night of tossing and turning in the Medbay so that Leonard could keep Y/N hooked up the monitors, she found herself back down on the planet.

“Do you have a name?” Y/N’s mind voiced, staring down into the green eyes of the fish. She was sitting on the edge of the pool, letting her bare feet dangle in the cold water.

“I am called Theolon,” he responded, at least Y/N assumed it was a he. 

“That’s a nice name. May I call you Theo?” she asked, her eyes glowing green as the telepathic link grew stronger with each communication. 

“That is acceptable,” Theo replied with a small bow of his head which included his whole body. 

“I’m sorry this is happening to you and your, um, fellow fish. My people are trying to help.” Y/N told him, letting her thoughts flow out in what she hoped was an organized fashion. She told him of Starfleet command and the plan they were implementing to halt the harvesting of the fish’s blood. “Tell me about your kind?”

Theo was joined by a couple other fish before he started to explain a little bit. “We are called the Zelenians. After reading your mind, Y/N, I have learned much about your people. While my kind are peaceful, we don’t have much in the way of a recorded history. We have been the only sentient species on this planet for as long as the oldest of us can remember.”

“How long do you live?” Y/N questioned. 

“I am roughly 300 of your earth years and still considered one of the young ones, although we do not mark time in the same way as you.” he answered, his voice soft in her head, almost reminding her of Commander Spock.

“Have you tried to communicate with anyone besides me?” Y/N’s mind voiced, it would have made sense for them to try to communicate with anyone who would listen, surely, Y/N thought, she wasn’t special.

“Yes, but no one we have tried to reach out to has responded like you. I knew when I first saw your face that you would be the one to help us,” Theo responded. Y/N couldn’t suppress her smile as Theo filled her head with assurances. 

“Y/N?” a strong scottish accent broke into her thoughts as the engineer sat down next to her. “Y’alrigh’?”

“Yes, Scotty, I’m fine,” Y/N answered out loud. He draped his arm around her shoulders and eyed Theo dubiously. 

“Is this your mate?” Theo questioned inside Y/N’s head. She giggled and shook her head. 

“What’s funny?” Scotty asked, his eyes shifting between Y/N and Theo. 

“Theo asked if you were my mate,” Y/N laughed. 

“Theo, eh?” Scotty mused, trying to hide his blush. “Learn anythin’ new, Lass?”

“Just a tiny bit about them as a species. Theo said that they have tried to communicate with people here before, but weren’t able to get through to anyone.” she answered. 

“Well, ye are special,” Scotty replied, squeezing her around her shoulders and dropping a kiss on temple.

“Are you sure this one is not your mate, Y/N?” Theo questioned again. “The connection between you is unmistakable.”

“We actually only met a couple of days ago,” Y/N replied to him silently, allowing her own insecurities to flutter through her mind. 

“Would you like to know what he is thinking?” Theo asked.

“Can you tell me that?” Y/N responded, wondering if this was a good idea or just an invasion of privacy. 

“I could, and I can teach you how to read his thoughts. You have the ability inside you.” Theo replied.

Before Y/N could reply, Leonard came through the now completely cleared tunnel and squatted down next to her. 

“Well, kids,” he started with a sigh, dragging his hand down his face. “I’ve spoken with Cline. He claims they never knew these little guys are sentient or telepathic. He then started ranting about them being only fish and had the nerve to call me a tree-hugger! I haven’t heard that term since I was a kid in Georgia!”

“They are called the Zelenians, they are not just fish!” Y/N retorted with an eye roll. “Did he at least act like they were going to stop harvesting the Zelenian’s blood?”

“No, quite the opposite in fact.” Leonard shook his head and trained his eyes on Theo who was swimming lazy figure eights in the water around Y/N’s feet. “He said that without proof, more than just what ‘some nurse’ says, he will not make a recommendation to stop or even slow down.”

“‘Some nurse’, huh?” Y/N questioned, one eyebrow raised in challenge. 

“His words, not mine,” Leonard held up his hands in surrender. “I’m going to go find Jim and fill him in on all this.” As Leonard left, Scotty also began to stand. 

“I’ve got a couple more “malfunctions” to take care of, you’ll be okay here?” he asked.

“Of course, I’m going to chat with Theo some more,” Y/N replied. Scotty nodded and squated back down beside her.

“Have dinner with me tonight?” he whispered, letting his hand cup her cheek. 

“I would love to,” Y/N replied with an easy smile, leaning into his touch. Scotty grinned and forced himself to stand and walk out of the room. Y/N turned her attention back to Theo, even though her heart seemed to have walked out with Scotty.

“Are you sure the one with the accent isn’t your mate, Y/N?” Theo asked thoughtfully. “His heart rate sped up significantly when you smiled.”

“You can sense his heart rate?” Y/N asked incredulously. 

“I have an awareness of the noise your human bodies make that most do not hear.” Theo answered when his swimming around her legs suddenly stopped. “Y/N, you must hide. Immediately.”

“What’s happening?” she asked, looking around but finding no hiding place in the open room.

“Someone is coming with intentions to hurt you, you must hide quickly!” Theo shouted into her mind. Y/N took her only option and slipped into the cold water. Taking a deep breath, she let her body sink beneath the surface into the murky darkness. Theo and the other Zelenians stopped their glowing so the water was pitch black. Looking back up through the water, Y/N just barely made out the shape of a figure standing at the edge of the pool. Floating up just a little, her eyes widened when she recognized the face. Dr. Cline.


	8. Chapter 8

Surrounded by the cold darkness of the water, Y/N kept her mind trained on the surface. Cline’s gazed quickly swept around the room but he found it empty.

“I can’t hold my breath much longer,” Y/N’s mind voiced in a panic to Theo. The Zelenian rested on her shoulder, with another on the other side of her head, helping her stay below the water. 

“You must, he intends to kill you if he finds you,” Theo replied. “He is the only other human we have been able to communicate with. I know he heard me, but he ignored me on purpose.”

“Theo, I need air!” Y/N pleaded. 

“Come with us,” Theo said as the fish began moving. Suddenly, Y/N was surrounded by them and they began to swim, pushing her along. Many other fish swam past them quickly, creating a current for her to swim easily with. It could have been a few seconds or an hour, Y/N wasn’t sure because her lungs were demanding all of her attention, but the fish eventually pushed her to the surface. As Y/N’s head broke through the water, she gasped and coughed. With an arm wrapped around Theo, who was keeping her afloat, Y/N looked around her in the green glow of the fish. The Zelenians had brought her to a different room, much smaller than the first. The pool in the floor wasn’t much more than a hole just large enough for a fully grown man to fit through. 

“Use your mind, Y/N, and call to your mate, he will hear you,” Theo instructed. 

“He’s not my mate,” Y/N instantly huffed out. Theo’s imitation of Dr. McCoy’s eye roll was impressive. Y/N frowned, allowed Theo to hold her up, closed her eyes, and concentrated on Scotty. She pictured him in her mind, saw him bending over a piece of machinery, heard the constant mutter of his thoughts, she even heard him swear out loud.

“Damn,” Scotty swore as he pulled his slight burned finger back from the machine and promptly stuck it in his mouth. He was nearly finished creating his final malfunction when the voice in his head, suddenly and inexplicably, wasn’t his.

“Scotty.”

What was Y/N’s voice doing in his head? He had been thinking about her but hearing her speak in his head was a whole new experience. Unsure what to do, he stood still and waited to make sure he wasn’t going crazy.

“Scotty,” Y/N’s voice rang through his mind again. “I need help.”

“Where are ye?” Scotty whispered out loud, his thoughts echoing the question. 

“I’m in a small room close to your location, but I don’t know how to tell you exactly,” Y/N’s voice responded. 

“Are ye hurt?” Scotty asked softly, still unsure if she would hear him if he just thought it.

“I’m mostly okay,” came the weak reply. 

“Mostly i’n’t good enough, lass,” Scotty shook his head and closed his eyes to concentrate. “Can you show me where ye are, maybe I can find ye that way?” 

Y/N sighed and opened her eyes. Looking around the room, she focused on sending the images to Scotty. All the rooms in these caverns looked so similar, she doubted he would be able to find her based on these white walls washed in the green glow of the Zelenians. There was only one marked difference in this room than the others, it had a small hole in the ceiling that allowed daylight to shine through and land directly on the small pool of water that Y/N was in. Sending the images to Scotty as clearly as she could, Y/N rested her arms on the side of the tiny pool and tried to pull herself out of the water. She was shivering so badly and was so weak that she didn’t have the strength to pull herself out. 

“Hang on, lassie, I know that room!” Scotty’s voice sounded through her head. She had honestly forgotten that she was still linked to his mind. Y/N held onto the side of the pool but her hands and arms were shaking so much that she kept losing her grip. Theo pushed against her back, trying to help stabilize her against the pool’s wall.

“Hurry, Scotty,” Y/N’s mind whispered as her eyes drifted closed. “I’m so cold, so cold…”

“Stay with me, lass, I’m almost there!” Scotty’s voice rang through Y/N’s mind. “Answer me, Y/N!”

Y/N tried to send him something back, but was using every ounce of strength she had left to keep her head above the water. The pool was too small to lay back in and rely on her natural buoyancy. Y/N tried to hold onto the stone floor but her numb, wet fingers couldn’t grasp anything and she was slowing sinking back into the water. Theo tried to hold her up and even called on some other Zelenians to come around her to hold her up, but the darkness clouding her vision stole her strength. Losing all grip on the side of the pool, Y/N’s hands fell beneath the dark water. Her dead weight began to be too much for Theo and his friends. The hole in the ceiling shining daylight down onto Y/N’s face was the last thing she saw before the darkness closed in and her head slipped beneath the water’s cold surface. 

Scotty ran as fast as his legs would go and then pushed them faster. He knew Y/N was unconscious, he felt her slip away from his mind and that was the most terrifying feeling he had ever experienced. 

“Scotty to Doctor McCoy,” he yelled into his communicator as he ran.

“What’s wrong, Scotty?” came the instant reply. 

“Lock onto my comm signal and find me, Y/N’s in trouble,” Scotty shoved the open communicator in his pocket and ran faster. Rounding the final corner to what he was sure was the correct room, he felt his heartbeat pick up when he saw the green glow coming from a small pool in the side of the room but no Y/N. Rushing to the side of the pool, he slid to his knees and thrust his arms into the water frantically. 

As Y/N sank downward, Theo and his friends squeezed tightly against her body to try to keep her afloat as much as they could. Theo knew her mate was close and they all felt the vibrations of his hands in the water. With one last effort, they brought her up enough so that her hands that were floating above her head to within his reach.

The instant Scotty felt her hands, he grabbed them and hauled Y/N out of the cold water as fast as he could without hurting her. Gently laying her on the stone floor, he leaned his ear close to her mouth and heard no signs of her breathing. Trying desperately to remember his emergency medical training, he carefully tilted her head back, pinched her nose closed, and sealed his lips over her open mouth and breathed air into her lungs.


	9. Chapter 9

Scotty leaned forward and blew another breath of air into Y/N’s lungs, as he pulled back, she began to cough and sputter water. He gently rolled her to her side and rubbed her back as she continued to cough and take breaths. 

“Easy, lass,” he said softly, relief filling his voice as her coughing slowed a bit and her breathing began to regulate. She began to shiver. Scotty quickly removed her sopping wet jacket and wrapped her in his dry one. “We gotta get y’outa here.” 

Y/N turned her head to look up into his face. Her throat was raw from the cold water and coughing, she weakly wrapped her arms around Scotty’s neck and buried her face against him. 

“I got ye now, hold tight,” Scotty comforted as he wrapped his arm around her back and an arm under her knees and carefully held her against his chest as he stood. Turning toward the opening in the floor, Scotty locked eyes with Theo and nodded his thanks. Theo gave a small bow and disappeared beneath the water.

Scotty turned toward the door with his precious cargo and stopped in his tracks when a shadow loomed across the opening. 

“Scotty?” Leonard’s voice rang off of the stone walls. He stepped into the room with Jim right behind him carrying a hand lamp. “Good god, Y/N, what happened?”

Y/N tired to respond but could only cough and eventually gave up and just rested her head against Scotty’s shoulder. Scotty quickly took over, explaining how he found Y/N, pulled her out of the water, and had to use his emergency training to save her. Leonard scanned her while Scotty was talking. 

“Let's get you back to the ship, Y/N, the little bit of water in your lungs should clear on its own but I want to watch you closely.” Leonard said, snapping his tricorder shut. Y/N tried again to talk but coughing and wheezing were all that she could accomplish. Frustrated, she turned to Scotty, put her hands on the sides of his face and concentrated. 

“Tell them it was Cline that came for me, Theo said he wanted to hurt me. Cline can communicate with the Zelenians, he just refuses to,” she put into Scotty’s head. Scotty’s strong arms gave her a gentle squeeze. 

“Aye, lass, I’ll tell them, but we need to get ye taken care of first. There will be plenty of time to deal with Cline, he’s not going anywhere,” he replied out loud. Nodding to Jim and Leonard, Scotty returned to the beam out site and all four returned to the Enterprise. 

Back on the Enterprise, Leonard gave Y/N a complete going-over and settled on one night of observation to make sure her lungs cleared of the water without complications. Scotty hadn’t left her side since he laid her down on the biobed, except to let her change into dry scrubs.

“You should get some rest,” Y/N said to Scotty once they were alone in the exam room. 

“I’m resting,” Scotty replied, pulling up a chair and sitting down as if that made his point.

“Scotty-” Y/N began, only to get cut off by an interrupting engineer.

“I’m not leaving ye lass, so you might as well save your breath,” he said firmly. 

“Fine, at least find someplace more comfortable than the chair to sleep,” Y/N told him. Scotty glanced around the sparse room before making up his mind. The biobed was narrow but not much more narrow than a typical Starfleet issue single bed. “Can I join you?” he asked with a small smile. Y/N smiled and, rolling onto her side and scooting to the edge of the bed, made room for Scotty to slide in next to her. He made himself comfortable and pulled her back to his chest, resting his arm under her head. 

“There now, this is comfy,” he said softly, wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her securely against him. 

“Agreed,” Y/N replied with a yawn. 

“Rest now, love, I’ve got ye,” he said, his lips against her hair. Y/N was so warm and comfortable that sleep overtook her quickly. Scotty stayed awake a bit longer until he was sure she was sound asleep and her breathing remained even. 

Y/N’s sleep was filled with dreams and without conscious effort, projected them into Scotty’s mind. He woke with a start, having the strangest dream about being underwater with Theo when he realized Y/N was shivering. He quickly pulled the blanket from around her feet to wrap around her shoulders. The dream continued in his mind, even though he was awake and he quickly realized what was happening. It shouldn’t have even surprised him that Y/N would project her dreams, now that her telepathy had been awakened. He wrapped his arms around her and tried to help her stop shivering as the images of being pushed through the water by the Zelenians filled his mind. 

As her subconscious replayed what had happened and what Theo had said to her, Scotty saw the side of the conversation that he had missed. He saw Theo call him her mate and it made his arms tighten around her. When the dream turned dark and Y/N began to squirm and cry out in her sleep, Scotty gently shook her awake. 

“Wake up, Y/N, you’re dreamin’ darlin’,” he said softly in her ear. Y/N jerked awake but didn’t get very far because of Scotty’s arms around her. She shivered once and turned toward him on the narrow bed and buried her face in his chest. He shushed her and held her close until she looked up at him, her eyes glowing a bright green. Unable to resist, he lowed his lips to hers in a crushing kiss. Just as Y/N’s mind was going blissfully blank, Theo’s voice echoed through her head.

“Y/N! Help us please!”


	10. Chapter 10

“Slow down, lassie!” Scotty yelled as Y/N dragged him out of the exam room and straight into Leonard’s office. The images Theo flashed in her mind of what Cline was doing to them made her eyes fill with tears. The doctor had been sleeping on his couch but jerked awake when Y/N began to shake his booted foot. 

“Leonard, wake up! They need us!” she yelled frantically.

“What?” Leonard sat up with a start, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. 

“The Zelenians! Theo says they need us now! Cline is pulling as many of them as he can out of the water!” she replied, her eyes flashing a bright green. 

“You can hear him from here?” Leonard asked incredulously, as he got up and comm’d Jim. 

“I could,” Y/N started as she closed her eyes and concentrated on Theo again. Nothing came though. “He’s quiet now though. I’m not sure if it’s him or me though. I was, um, distracted when his message came through.” Y/N blushed and cast a quick glance up at Scotty. He blushed and looked at his boots and Leonard nodded his understanding just as Jim ran into the Medbay.

“What’s going on?” he asked, out of breath. 

“Theo called out to me, asking for help, something’s happening down there, Captain!” Y/N explained quickly. Jim nodded and sprang into action, calling a security team to meet them in transporter room three. 

In the transporter room, phasers were passed out to everyone, even to Leonard despite his grumbling. On the planet’s surface, they ran into the caves straight to the original pool that Y/N had fallen into. 

“Theo! Answer me, we’re coming to help you!” Y/N sent to Theo. He did not answer. As they ran through the tunnels, Scotty kept close to Y/N, wanting to make sure she was okay. It had been a rough few days and he needed be close to her if she needed him. He couldn’t explain it right at that moment, but Theo’s voice echoed “mate” in his mind. 

Arriving in the room, they skidded to a halt to take in the sight before them. A type of crane had been set up with a net in the water and it was pulling up Zelenians. The fish splashed and thrashed as they were raised from the water. Carts on wheels were full of Zelenians against the walls. Scotty estimated that nearly 200 had already been pulled out of the water, most still thrashing. Cline and a small group of men were harvesting as many fish as fast as they could. Y/N let out a whimper and fell to her knees, clasping her hands over her ears. 

“They’re screaming to me, they’re dying!” she yelled, garnering the attention of Cline and his goons. A phaser shoot out commenced. Scotty dove over to Y/N, pulling her against the wall of the room and shielding her with his body from the phaser blasts. “We have to get them back to water, Scotty!” she shouted over the noise. 

Scotty nodded and looked frantically around the room, trying to find the quickest path to the crane. Deciding that around the wall was the safest route, he stood, put Y/N in between himself and the wall, and began to run around the room to the now abandoned crane. It was holding the net a few inches above the water, all the Zelenians inside thrashed around, trying to get back into the life-saving water. Scotty ran to the control panel on the crane and quickly released the latch on the net, allowing it to free fall from the crane and land somewhere on the bottom of the ocean. 

Y/N ran to the carts lining the walls and began pushing one toward the pool. The rusty wheels resisted the movement, but she was determined and pushed with all her might. The Zelenians screamed inside her mind, causing tears to blur her vision. She knew they wouldn’t be able to save them all, she knew some were already dead, but she had to save as many as possible. Pushing the cart to the edge of the pool, she broadcasted to any Zelenian listening to move away from the pool as she pushed the cart over the edge and watched as it tipped and sank beneath the water, letting the Zelenians still living swim away. The cart itself sank to its own watery grave.

Scotty and Y/N continued to move cart after cart while the phaser battle died down and eventually stopped. Pushing the last cart into the pool, Y/N wasted no time and, ignoring Scotty’s shouts, jumped into the water after the cart had sunk. She let herself fall down into the group of Zelenians who were leaving the last cart. She looked down and saw at least 9 carts on the ocean floor, some dead Zelenians littering the area, but most were swimming on their own or with help. 

“Theo?” Y/N called, hoping that her friend had survived. “Theolon!” She allowed her body to sink a little further, ignoring the feeling of Scotty’s distress at the water’s surface. She called to Theo again but received no response. Eventually, the Zelenians swimming around her parted and through them swam a Zelenian Y/N had seen before. 

“Y/N,” said a distinctly female voice. “I am Siene, I was Theolon’s mate.”

“Was?” Y/N asked, knowing in her heart that he was gone. 

“Yes. He was one of the first taken in this onslaught against our kind and, while you have returned him to the water, he was out too long to be revived. He will long be remembered as a savior of our people. And you, my dear, songs will be sung of you and your bravery. We will teach it to the whales and it shall last an eternity on our world.”

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here sooner. I’m so sorry we lost Theo.” Y/N’s mind sobbed even as her eyes closed to block out the sting of the water. She felt more than heard Siene’s heartbreaking cry. 

“Return to the surface, Y/N,” Siene ordered. “You cannot survive here much longer and your mate awaits you.”

“My mate?” Y/N asked, her mind beginning to become clouded from lack of oxygen. 

“Yes, go now!” Siene commanded. Zelenians crowded around her, all glowing the brightest green Y/N had ever seen. They tilted her up and began to swim up under her, pushing her to the surface. Closing her eyes, Y/N said goodbye to the Zelenians and expressed her sorrow over Theo and all the others who didn’t survive. 

Scotty watched the water’s surface diligently, scanning for any sign of Y/N. He didn’t know how, but he felt her sorrow. 

“How long has she been down there?” Leonard asked, running up beside Scotty. 

“Nearly a minute now,” Scotty responded, not taking his eyes from the water. “She has 10 more seconds before I go in after her.”

Scotty didn’t have to wait 5 more seconds before he saw Y/N’s face come to the surface. She was completely surrounded by the glowing Zelenians as they pushed her to the surface. He reached out and grabbed her outstretched hands and pulled her out of the water. Leonard began scanning her as Scotty wrapped her in his jacket. She was still wearing the thin scrubs and the cold water had had a much stronger effect on her this time, her body wracked with shivers. 

Y/N looked down at the water where Siene waited just below the surface.

“Thank you,” Siene said softly in Y/N’s mind and it went straight to her heart.


	11. 1 year later...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1 year later...

Y/N frowned as she leaned her hip against the biobed on which her stubborn but repentant husband sat. Leonard had already scanned Scotty’s newest injury, a gash across his forehead. Cleaning the wound, Leonard reached for the dermal regenerator to run over the gash, but gestured to Y/N instead and left them alone in the exam room with a look at pity at Scotty. Keenzer stood stoically off to the side of the room, watching closely, his beady eyes not leaving Y/N for a moment.

Y/N picked up the regen unit and silently began running it over the cut on his head, wedging herself in between his knees against the biobed. His hands rested automatically on her hips. 

“Lassie?” Scotty voiced hesitantly. She expertly continued her work in silence, making a conscious effort to control her breathing and not jerk the regen unit. “Honey, ye’ve gotta talk to me, please.”

Y/N slowly set the regen unit down on the table and leaned on both hands on either side of his knees. She bowed her head with her eyes closed and continued to breath in controlled breaths, resting her head on his chest. Keenzer let out a soft whine and took a step toward Y/N. 

“I’m sorry, love, I really am, but it was an accident!” Scotty babbled on, letting his hands rest on her shoulders and run down her arms. Y/N looked up at him and when he saw the pain in her green eyes, he knew what was going on. His eyes widened as he called Leonard back into the exam room.

“Doctor!” he yelled. “We have a problem!”

Leonard ran back into the room, looking at Scotty for an explanation but lept into action when Y/N doubled over in pain, her hands wrapped around the still-growing bump of her belly. Keenzer let out a shriek and huddled in a corner, still watching Y/N closely. 

“Y/N!? What’s happening?” he asked, lifting her carefully onto the bed Scotty had just vacated. She rolled onto her side and curled into Scotty as he stood by the side of the bed. 

“Contractions,” she whispered as Leonard scanned her.

“It’s too soon!” Scotty babbled frantically, his accent growing heavy with panic. “Isn’t it too soon, Doctor? I think it’s too soon! This shouldna be happenin’ righ’ now. Ye have ta stop, Y/N!”

“Shut up or get out, Scotty!” Leonard yelled as he worked over Y/N. She was trying to control her breathing through the pain and send some comfort to Scotty to help him calm down before Leonard physically dragged him out. Jim, who had been in Leonard’s office, rounded the corner cautiously.

“What’s all the yelling about? I thought it was just a cut on his head?” he asked, his eyes taking in the situation warily. 

“Will all of you shut up?!” Leonard barked as his hands ran expertly over Y/N’s belly. He confirmed for himself what his scans were telling him and pulled a hypo together and quickly injected it into Y/N’s neck. She almost immediately breathed a sigh of relief and her body relaxed against the bed. 

“What happened?” Scotty demanded, keeping his hands on Y/N as much as possible, one hand on her head and one on her belly. “Are they a’righ’?”

“Everything’s fine,” Leonard told him but kept his eyes on Y/N. “Braxton Hicks.”

“Who?” Jim asked. 

“False labor,” Y/N breathed out, resting her hand on top of Scotty’s on her belly. “Is she okay?”

“Yes, she’s fine. Healthy and growing well, but not ready to make her debut appearance quiet yet,” Leonard replied to the collective relief of the room. Keenzer stood and moved next to the biobed, his small hand silently joining Y/N’s and Scotty’s on her belly. 

Scotty and Y/N’s baby was the first to be born on ship during this mission and the entire crew had become involved. There were pools for everything from the day she would be born to her height and weight. Uhura had organized the more crafty of the crew into knitting, sewing, and carpentry groups to make everything from clothes and blankets to toys for her. Neither Y/N nor Scotty could walk down the hallways without something giving them a name suggestion. 

Leonard made Y/N as comfortable as possible and tended to Scotty’s cut before putting on hand on Jim’s shoulder and pulling him out of the room. Scotty leaned over Y/N on the bed and dropped a kiss on her lips. 

“I’m sorry I got hurt, my darlin’,” he whispered. 

“It’s okay, I know it was an accident,” Y/N replied with a smile.

“But you just scared a few years off my life!” Scotty quickly followed.

“I’m sorry I scared you, I didn’t meant to,” Y/N replied, trying to curl around Scotty a little more. 

“Oh, my darlin’,” he kissed her forehead. “I love ye so much!” 

“I love you too, Scotty,” Y/N replied. He gently scooted her over and slid onto the bed next to her, cuddling her as close as the child growing in between them would allow. Scotty looked into his wife’s eyes and lost himself. The past year had flown by in a blur. Cline, who only had minor injuries from their shootout in the caverns, was arrested and put on a prison planet for the rest of his days. The planet the Zelenians lived on was declared a sanctuary and under the protection of the Federation. Scientists and telepaths had been moved there to work with the Zelenians and learn more about the species. 

The green glow the Zelenians had shared with Y/N had faded but her eyes had changed pigment to remain permanently green. Leonard said that it was a result of the telepathic gene being activated. They didn’t yet know if their child would share in Y/N’s telepathy or not but Scotty didn’t care. He gloried in his small family and couldn’t wait to welcome their daughter into the universe. 

Outside the room, Leonard and Jim glanced in one more time before they left Medbay and began to wander toward the mess hall for lunch.

“How much longer do you think she has, Bones?” Jim asked nonchalantly. 

“Hard to say, Jim,” Leonard responded. 

“Are you thinking 6 more weeks? Maybe 5 and a half more weeks?” Jim pushed. 

“I’m not helping you win the birthday pool, Jim,” Leonard replied firmly, shaking his head. “Besides, I think Keenzer’s going to win. That little guy has some kind of insider’s knowledge.”

“How long do you think it’ll take for her to reach nine pounds?” Jim asked, his voice hopeful.

“Nine pounds?!” Leonard asked incredulously, stopping the middle of the hallway to stare at Jim. “Is that your guess for the birth weight?”

“No!” Jim replied, his eyes shifting as crew members walked past them. “It’s my guess for the first month check-up.”

“Oh god,” Leonard rolled his eyes and started walking to the mess hall. 

Jim ran to catch up with Leonard, the back of his hand brushed against the back of Leonard’s as he caught up with the doctor. Leonard looked at Jim with a raised eyebrow, Jim just grinned back. With a roll of his eyes and a sigh, Leonard continued toward the mess hall and lunch. This lull in their adventures wouldn’t last long, but Leonard was determined to enjoy it as much as possible, even if it meant putting up with an entire ship full of anxious parents-to-be.


End file.
